West Bengal Tourism

Tourist information about West Bengal Â

• Kolkata (Calcutta) was the capital of British India.
• State has architectural and natural heritage
• Famous for terracotta temples at Bishnupur
• Plenty of options of tourist attractions
• Colorful folk festivals are worthy to take part in
• Contemporary music and traditional music culture is great to witness
• Theatre and films culture is also great to explore
• Place for options of crafts and arts
• Decide for the right month to explore the beauties of the state

Location of West Bengal

• Situated in eastern part of India
• It is also along the sides of Bay of Bengal
• Considered to be in the 4^th rank as a populous state
• Being the 13^th largest Indian state, it is spread over an area of 88,752 square kilometers
• It is along the borders of Indian states like Sikkim, Assam, Odisha, Bihar

Best time to visit West Bengal

• October to March is the suitable time to visit
• It is better to explore the place during cold weather

Temperature of West Bengal Â

• It is tropical savannah towards southern portions varying to humid subtropical towards north
• Summer at the delta region is excessively humid
• Highest temperature ranges from 38 degree Celsius to 45 degree Celsius
• Thunderstorms known as ‘Kal-baisakhi’ prevails from northwest or north
• Winter experiences minimum temperature going down to 15 degree Celsius

How to reach West Bengal?

By Train

• Main railway stations are Howrah railway station and Sealdah Railway Station
• New Jalpaiguri Railway Station is present at Siliguri
• Other stations are Barddhaman Station, Azimganj Junction, Raiganj Railway Station
• The stations easily connect with major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and the like

By Bus

• Availing road service to reach West Bengal is an easy option
• With extensive road network, it is easy to get connected with major cities
• Highways connect well with Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa
• Common highways are NH16 and NH2 connecting major cities

By Air

• West Bengal is adequately connected with other major cities via airways
• Major airports include Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata
• Other major airports are Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, Bagdogra Domestic Airport, Cooch Behar Airport

What is West Bengal famous for?

• Terracotta temples at Bishnupur
• Hazarduari palace known as second chandelier
• State is known as cultural, commercial and education center
• It is among the most populous states
• One of the pioneer in arts, theatre, drama, literature

Things to do when traveling to West Bengal

Visit Sundarbans Â

• Admire wildlife at Sundarbans
• One of the largest river delta to have the best wildlife experience
• One of the famous natural wonders along the coastal region of Bay of Bengal
• Get to witness variety of flora and fauna
• Best place to visit for the animal lovers

Victoria memorial

• It is great to marvel over its architecture
• The 54 meters high building is a perfect tourist spot
• Visiting the place is one of the refreshing things to do in Kolkata

Kalighat and Dakshineswar temple

• Place for the worshippers
• Two of the most prominent Hindu temples to visit
• Goddess Kali is worshipped on both the temples
• To get the taste of spirituality, visiting the temples is a must

Howrah Bridge

• To witness the art of engineering, this Bridge is a great option to visit
• This is known to be the sixth longest bridge
• Nothing can be great than going for romantic walk with your favorite person at Howrah Bridge

Shop at Park Street

• To shop from the best corners of the city, Park Street is the option
• For the shopping maniacs, this is the place
• Traditional sarees, jute craft, books, terracotta structures and other items are available
• Great Christmas Celebration is worthy to witness at Park Street

Watching sunset at Princep GhatÂ

• Nothing can be great than capturing beautiful landscape during sunset
• This is one of the oldest ghat since British period
• View of River Ganges with plenty of food options to taste are great
• Enjoy boat river in the river with the sun going down in a great experience

Places to visit in West BengalÂ

Bankura

• Art, culture and history attracts tourists
• The Biharinath Hill is one of the major attractions
• Durgapur and Kharagpur are the nearby places to visit
• It is just 221 kilometers from Bankura

Midnapore

• The historical and cultural importance along with the temples are famous to visit
• Kolkata and Bankura are nearby places to visit
• Chapaleshwar and Mahamaya temples are great
• Roadways, railways and airways easily connects the place with other major cities

Siliguri

• Historical and cultural importance of the place is worth visiting
• Chilapata forests are the greatest attractions
• Takes a whole day’s time to visit
• Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling are the near places to visit

Murshidabad

• Home for different regions and races
• Holds a grandeur indicating the pre-historic times
• It was Bengal’s capital before British rule
• Famous places include Jalangi River, Katra Mosque, Imambara, Hazarduari Palace museum

Kalimpong

• Famous hill station in lower Himalayas
• It is at an altitude of 1250 meters
• Amazing view and tranquility of the place is great
• Famous for orchids, handicrafts and beautiful nurseries
• Tourist places include Tongsa Gompa, Deolo Hill, Jaldhaka rivet valley

Cooch Bihar

• Famous district in Jalpaiguri and located towards northeastern part of the state
• One can witness great influences of Mughal period
• Place is famous for water bodies and monuments
• Rasik Bail, Dangar Ayee Temple, Chilapata forest range are great to visit

Mirik

• Place has more than just mountains and lakes
• Situated amidst Himalayan Valley
• Boating experience and visit to temples are great
• Place is full or gardens and beautiful orchids

Dooars

• One can witness series of floodplains in northeastern part of India
• Surrounded by Sankoshi in west and Teesta in east
• Beautiful place to visit to witness natural beauty

Santiniketan

• Famous as Rabindranath Tagore’s home
• This is also a famous university in Birbhum district
• August to March is the best time to visit

Famous festivals at West Bengal

Durga Puja

• One of the important and famous Hindu festivals
• It is celebrated in October
• People from every corner of India come to witness its grandeur
• Festival celebrates the great victory of the good over evil
• People visit pandals during this time wearing new cloths
• Goddess are beautifully dressed and pandals are also illuminated

Dol Purnima

• Holi is termed as Dol Jatra or Dol Purnima
• Festival is celebrated by worhsipping icons of Krishna and Radha
• The goddess are taken out on the road in Palanquim
• On the festival day, people dress up on white or yellow colored clothes wearing garlands of flowers

Poush Sankranti

• Sankranti is also called as Poush Sankranti in West Bengal
• In this festival, fresh harvested paddy along with date palm as Khejurer Gur and Patali is the main dish during this festival
• Pitha is another famous dish for this festival
• Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped on the day of the festival

Rathayatra

• Known as the Chariot festival of Jagananth
• Celebrated during June – July
• A 600 years old chariot is seen in Serampore which is just 30 kilometers from Kolkata
• Deities of Jagannath, Balarama and Subhadra are celebrated on this day

Losar

• Other name of the festival is Tibetan new year
• This is a 15 day long festival celebrated by Buddhist monasteries
• It is held during February and March
• Mask dances and rituals are common during this time

Food culture of West Bengal Â

Aloo postoÂ

• Poppy seeds are common among Bengalis and used in different dishes
• Poppy seeds are prepared with potatoes with coconut puree and some other spices

Ilish Macher Jhol

• One of the famous flavored fish in Bengal
• It is prepared with Nigella seeds along with chili
• Known to be a staple food of West Bengal

Shukto

• It is a famous first course of the diet
• Prepared with brinjals, bitter gourd, bori and drumsticks
• Milk is also added to thicken the gravy

SandeshÂ

• One of the popular Bengali sweet dishes
• It is prepared from condensed milk
• It is a must have option for the sweet lovers
• One of the delectable sweet items to taste when traveling to West Bengal

Aam Pora Shorbot

• Raw mangoes and sugar are mixed with chilled water
• This drink is the famous to beat the summer heat
• Raw mangoes are burnt in this to give a smoky taste
• One of the best drinks of Bengal compared to the artificial ones

Mishti Doi

• Nothing can beat the sweetness of sweetened yogurt
• It is served as dessert item at the last of a meal
• It is another must have sweet dish for the sweet lovers

Important advice for tourists

• Give tips to taxi drivers when strolling around in West Bengal
• Leaving tip is also common when leaving hotels
• Smoking is banned in public places like shopping malls, workplace, banquet halls and the like
• It is better to avoid body hugging dresses when strolling in the city
• It is better not to carry too much cash and other valuable items in public
• To maintain safety, it is better not to roam around during night
• Avoid talking with over friendly taxi drivers, unknown people and tourist guide
• Plenty of hotels are available in tourist spots and it is important to check safety and security options in the hotel

Important contact numbers

• Traffic Police HQ Control Room – 033 2359-8289, 033 2359-4015
• State control room – 1070
• Police – 100
• Medical Helpline – 9830079999
• Child Helpline – 1098
• Women Helpline – 1091